just enjoy it!
This drama's premise is truly unique and something I've been searching for.The story is about a young woman studying geology abroad, on leave from her thesis, forced to return home to replace her sister, who is pursuing a career as an actress. For the sake of entertainment resources, her sister enters into a contract to pretend to be dating a mining entrepreneur who is firm and not solely focused on economic interests. Their shared mission of protecting the environment is the key to their eventual love.
I like the characters. The woman is intelligent and straightforward, not the type who is always suddenly rescued by the male lead out of nowhere. The male lead isn't the authoritarian CEO type who is ruthless; he has a human side and makes reasonable decisions. All the supporting characters are not overly exaggerated, and the antagonist commits crimes for clear and reasonable reasons.
I like how this drama depicts academic idealism confronted with the dynamic dilemma of material gain within a company. While it's not a perfect drama (because I noticed many parts were cut), I wasn't bothered by the fact that it seemed like the supporting cast's plots were diminished. Furthermore, this drama has many unique scenes rarely found in other dramas. The only thing that bothered me was, didn't the scriptwriter have any other ideas for revealing their secrets besides having the characters' conversations spied on in public? But thankfully, these were only a few.
Initially, I intended to skip this drama because I felt there were too many plot holes, even halfway through. It turns out all the questions were answered, and the conflict resolution was acceptable. They didn't force to maintain the original situation; they made me realize that it's okay to start something different. (I wanted to highlight this but was afraid of spoilers).
Honestly, I wasn't interested in watching this drama because the poster didn't reflect the vibe it gave off. But after watching it, it turned out that don't judge a book by its cover is true.
8.5/10. This drama is a must-watch if you want to see different perspectives on life that are forced to intersect. It's not a perfect drama, but you can give it a try.
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1
1The Emperor With No Clothes
Once upon a time in Nanye, the Northern Qin barbarians are at the gate! At the border, the Beifu army, led by Xiao Wuyi, heir of Prince Jing'an, is all that keeps the invaders at bay. At the capital Jiankang, the emperor is ailing, and internal strife and sabotage result in compromised military crossbows that cost a devastating loss of 30,000 soldiers at the battlefront. Yet Wuyi manages to seize victory from the jaws of defeat and returns to the capital to demand an accounting. His investigations lead him to the Grand Tutor's daughter, Xie Jiayu, a brilliant Mohist engineer who finds herself a pawn in the machinations of powerful men. Jiayu jolts Wuyi like an unexpected shot in the butt—a fleeting sting accompanied by the heady rush of adrenaline and a warm, throbbing ache. Intrigued, he reels her in as he draws out the real hidden foes. Jiayu is surprised and dismayed to find herself ordered by imperial edict to marry this diabolical young warlord with a ruthless, slightly unsavory reputation. She soon discovers there is more to his household than meets the eye. Thus begins their breathtaking journey from the mistrust of an arranged marriage to a strategic alliance that forges a bond tested by hidden identities, high-stakes diplomacy, internal political conspiracies, multiple betrayals, and war.Sparrow Bone (雀骨 / Què Gǔ), English title Key to the Phoenix Heart, is a plot-heavy story that surprised and delighted me. I thought I would drop this—I only intended to catch a few scenes of Ai Mi in her first lead role. But the plot reeled me in from the start, and the unexpected humor tickled my funny bone. Before I knew it, I was out of episodes and eager for more. I really haven't been so compelled to chase a drama of this genre for quite some time. For what is on the surface just a fluffy romance, the stakes are high, and the fast-paced plot is propulsive. Characters that initially appear archetypal make surprising choices that reveal unexpected layers and complex motivations. Intricate familial ties and inherited grudges shape character motivations and the concealed agendas of key players. There are no cartoon villains; the main antagonists simply have different loyalties or agendas. The narrative explores the abuse and limits of imperial privilege and whether the ends justify the means. It is a story about how the emperor with no clothes can achieve more than one with all the trappings of a monarch.
The romance in this drama is tastefully conveyed in a way that respects Ai Mi's young age at the time of shooting. I was never a fan of Hou Minghao's acting, but I enjoyed his genuine chemistry with Ai Mi. I also noticed a marked improvement in his acting that impressed me. Both actors rose to the challenge of conveying how their feelings for each other evolved without the need for heavy physical displays of emotion. As someone who isn't a fan of the romance genre, I was enthralled by how charming an old-school approach can be—the meaningful sidelong glance, a tiny secret smile, a small silent hand squeeze, that inability to look away, and the depth of longing in an embrace. Ai Mi brilliantly captures the shattering depth of youthful betrayal and the dazzling radiance of a young girl falling in love for the first time. She effortlessly delivers the authenticity of blossoming youth that long ago eluded older actors who routinely try to attempt teenage roles.
Where this drama missed the mark for me was Wang Yilun's portrayal of Prince Qi. This is a terrific role—arguably the most interesting one in the drama. Unfortunately, this actor doesn't even come close to capturing the complexity of a character who struggles with his own worst instincts and insecurities. He made the character look bipolar and sleepwalked lethargically through some terrific scenes with dead eyes and a pasted-on crooked smirk. I feel Merxat's Eagle King was just as interesting and so much better acted that he should have been better explored instead.
The finale had a bit of everything: action, both victory and defeats, some heart-wrenching losses, and far-reaching consequences amid a fantastic action sequence. The drama does give in to unnecessary melodrama at the very end that could have been better spent extending the fantastic final battle scene or more fully wrapping up all the side characters I cared about. Nonetheless, I had a blast with this and am happy to rate it 8.5/10.
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Great show up through episode 19. After that .... ick.
Mixed feelings. The actors were all solid. Chemistry between leads was great. Pretty good show up until ep 19. Then became an absolute garbage script over the last 5 episodes as the writers decided to change the show from "Dating in the Kitchen" into "Corporate Pissing Contest Between Two Spiteful Brothers". Worse, in order to facilitate the pissing contest, the writers applied plot-induced stupidity to make Zhao Lusi's character, Gu Shengnan, suddenly become the most stupid, naive, gullible idiot. Again and again she keeps making the WORST decisions and ends up caught as an emotional punching bag between the two brothers. They also transformed the younger brother from a nice, likable goofball into suddenly being a completely morally broken scheming slime ball who has no qualms about manipulating and hurting the innocent Shengnan in order to get at Lu Jin. She ends up enduring a ton of emotional pain and anguish because of all this. And in the end, we are supposed to think it's all, "OK"???? Lu Zheng is given a complete pass at the end despite having done such scumbag things? Similarly, the show expects us to forgive and forget and let Lu Jin's mother off the hook for all truly cruel crap she pulled? Did the show change script writers for the last few episodes? Or were they on drugs during that time? Because watching the last 5 episodes was just awful. I only forced myself to watch to the end because I'd come this far and despite the truly awful final plot line, I still very much enjoyed both Zhao Lusi and Lin Yu Shen's performances. Even when the script had them behaving like idiots. The show also has a very nice music soundtrack. And the show was great back when it focused more around food and the symbolism and importance of food, cooking and eating in the various plot-arcs that built up the original premise of the show. The show just forgot all that and lost its way for the final 5 episodes.My advice is watch the show up until some happy point somewhere in ep 19 ... and then just skip to the final happy ending scenes in the last few minutes of ep 24. Everything in between is just garbage.
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it truly was love in the clouds.
this is by far one of the best if not the best dramas i have every watched in my 6 years of watching. it's a perfect mix of everything. as a feminist or as a person who loves women standing up for themselves, being brave, stepping forward, fighting injustice, and going against societies judgements, this drama is everything i could as for. not only did mingyi truly let go of her past and set herself free but she also found new found family, uncovered her true self, and even found her one true love. as a person who believes on the red string theory, this drama is truly giving that kind of vibe, no one can convince me they weren't meant to be from the very beginning of their lives. oh how i love mingzai 😭🩵Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Bloody Power Struggle
Gu QingZhi’s reincarnation into Shen XiHe was never meant to grant her foresight to avoid dangers or traps. Instead, it was a calculated scheme to ensnare the 5th Prince, who remained obsessed with his late wife, Gu QingZhi. I found it difficult to accept that the frail Crown Prince could grow into a formidable fighter, capable of building a network of spies and loyal ministers. At first, I mistook the elderly woman often seen beside the Emperor for the Empress, only to later realize she was the Empress Dowager. Strangely, this Emperor had no Empress at all. The Empress Dowager’s sudden descent into madness—upon learning that the Crown Prince was her biological grandson whom she had unknowingly poisoned—was jarring and hard to reconcile.The Emperor himself came across as deeply incompetent. By raising his sons in a way that fostered rivalry, he inadvertently encouraged them to fight for the throne, leading to their deaths, and even one attempting to assassinate him.
On the romantic side, the Crown Prince’s earnest efforts to win XiHe’s heart were touching. I especially loved the serene scenes of the couple beneath the two maple trees in their courtyard.
By contrast, the relentless pursuit of XiHe by the 5th and 9th Princes was irritating and distasteful. The 5th Prince, in particular, seemed incapable of grasping the depth of her anger and hatred toward him. Yet, in the end, he redeemed himself—earning XiHe’s forgiveness through sacrifice and proving the sincerity of his love.
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A light hearted romcom perfect for a drama slump
If you are looking for a light hearted romance historical show, this is just exactly what it was. I binge watched in just two days. The show moves in a sort of faced paced, concise, and to the point way, but it’s not to a point where it felt shallow and not enough fleshed.Every few episodes focus on different li’s daughter and their respective partner, and then they wrapped it up and move to the next sibling.
My problem with watching a show is i get bored easily, so with cdrama that have so many episode and so many story arc sometimes i didn’t finish them even if i liked the show, but with these show they able to mantain the momentum because it doesn’t spent too much time finishing story arc with one couple, there are moment where sometimes it felt dragging, but the drama didn’t suffer much, once they done we moved on, and the next story doesn’t really need to spent much time with introduction or building because we have estabilished quite a lot with the previous episode while the fun of previous storyline was still there, so even with my short attention span, i could watch the show on and on because they are concise, sharp, and just exactly my type.
If you were in a drama slump i feel like these would be the perfect show to binge
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Mixed Feelings
Final update:I’ve got a whole fan theory that the cast was never even handed the full script. Such a waste of chemistry and top-tier acting, honestly. And I have one question: where tf are the ghosts in this show?? What was even the point of making the FL a ghost-seer? If there were zero ghosts and no actual paranormal plotline, you might as well have just made the ML a regular old chaebol—you guys already have hundreds of those anyway. At least then we’d get a cliché show that actually makes sense. Plus, you drop a prosecutor into the plot and he literally does nothing?!
Anyway, until Yang Se-jong and Park Eun-bin are reunited in a proper slow-burn romance, it’s a permanent goodbye to this drama.
To be honest, I’m totally torn on this drama. I keep bouncing between liking it and being completely meh about it. The first two episodes started out super strong, but after that, the pacing just feels stuck. They drag out subplots that barely have anything to do with the main storyline. Plus, there are way too many conflicts thrown in at once—it gets chaotic, and none of them really connect or pay off. The transitions feel super rushed, and the continuity issues keep breaking my immersion, which makes me check out from time to time.
Given the title, I expected it to hit harder, but it’s neither genuinely creepy nor deeply romantic. Both elements feel kinda weak and half-baked. When I saw we were getting an ML who’s a prosecutor and an FL who sees ghosts, I was hyped for a solid detective-duo dynamic full of exciting adventures... but it really fell flat. A ghost pops up, tells them where they died, they go fetch the body, and that’s literally it...
Visually, the leads have crazy good chemistry, so I was really excited for this pairing. But the FL feels way too passive for someone living with ghosts. She’s almost completely expressionless and flat. I really wished the writers had made her more dynamic and lively.
As for their relationship, it feels way more like a solid friendship than actual romance. Zero passion so far—definitely no butterflies in my stomach yet.
That being said, most of the episodes have still been pretty fun to watch, so it’s definitely not a drop for me. I’m sticking with it till the end!
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Boring repetitive story
Boring drama with repetitive story like most cdramas... ending easily guessable*"All looks, no substance"*
Dropped the drama. I wanted to like it so bad but I just couldn’t.
Cons:
- Glacial pacing- 40 episodes to say what could’ve been done in 20. The same misunderstanding gets recycled 5 times. I was screaming "JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER" at my screen.
- Zero chemistry- The leads are gorgeous but have the romance of two coworkers. The ML’s "cold facade" = just blank staring. The FL acting not good. It got old fast.
- Plot was a mess - The political/conspiracy plot is supposed to be the main thing but it’s so half-baked. Villains are dumb, side characters disappear for 10 eps then randomly come back.
- Overused tropes - Amnesia, fake death, third party, fall + catch... MDL bingo. Nothing felt fresh.
- Production - Some sets are pretty but the color grading is so yellow/brown everything looks the same. And don’t get me started on the wig + CGI in fight scenes.
Pros:
The OST is decent and the side CP had more chemistry than the mains did in 40 eps.
Final thoughts:
If you have 40 hours to waste and just want pretty costumes, go ahead. If you want an actual story with payoff, watch something else. _Pursuit of Jade_ feels like it was 90% trailer moments and 10% plot.
Would not recommend unless you’re a completionist like me 💀
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Loved the 2nd lead couple but the villain was not strong or competitive..he was more like a lovesick person
Lead couple had no chemistry..only looks and the story was much alike to other previous cdramas....New cdrama watchers might find it appealing but the old cdrama lovers knew that the drama was not UpTo the mark and much like a repetition of previous cdramas
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Couldn’t get past the first episode
Such a disappointing Fil drama. I honestly couldn’t get past the first episode or rather, I tried to get through each episode, but I ended up skipping and fast-forwarding most of it. The FL’s acting was probably the biggest issue for me. It felt very forced, like she was trying hard to act, and eventually it became more annoying than entertaining. I’m not even sure if the character was actually supposed to be like that, or if it was just the way the character was portrayed.And I genuinely wonder what the ML actor was thinking when he accepted this role. He has done many better movies and dramas that really showcase his acting skills, so I found myself wondering what made him choose this project.
As for the production… sorry, but it felt like it was trying very hard to copy the K-drama filming style, but the execution came across as a cheaper version of it. The cinematography and overall production just didn’t have the same polish, and at times it felt a little too obvious that they were trying to recreate that K-drama aesthetic.
I really wanted to like this, but between the forced/annoying FL performance, the questionable production choices, and me constantly reaching for the fast-forward button… I think that says enough.
Dropped. 😅
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A beautiful chemistry!
So i just finished this drama and it's was a very lovely moment.From the very first episodes, you can feel a strong chemistry between the two lead actors, and this is confirmed throughout the entire drama. Their relationship is so powerful, moving, and particularly well-acted that they completely overshadow the supporting characters. If I had to point out one weakness, this would probably be it: the supporting characters and their stories struggle to stand out alongside this incredible duo, with the possible exception of Bu Shu Lin, whose story I really enjoyed.
The main storyline and its twists are interesting, but you quickly find yourself much more invested in the main couple than in the actual plot. At times, this drama offers some truly beautiful scenes, both visually and emotionally.
I particularly appreciated the ending, which gives us a glimpse of what happens to the characters after the main story has come to an end. That’s not something you see very often in Chinese dramas.
A good drama, very enjoyable
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The timeline may be a bit confusing for first time watchers but trust me once you saw it you'll love it...I have watched this drama infinite times till now and still on my watchlist to watch again...love the cast...love the acting....love the story...love the music.......love it's everything
This drama has a special place in my heart and it will always be my number 1 favourite
It's a perfect blend of love, happiness, sadness, betrayal, revenge, regret, action, mystery, fiction, wuxia, xianxia, family bonding, sibling bonding, friendship....
A must watch for cdrama lovers
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Cute but felt incomplete
I watching this cz i saw soo many edits. Initially I thought it was a cop romance but then i realized it was security gaurd romance. It's super cute, adorable, really simple story line where a new hire falls for his oblivious senior but then I felt just when the story was building up it ended like halfway. I was literally waiting for episode 5 and i get to know it's a 4 episode drama. Now I feel empty so my rating dropped from a 10 to 6.5😭Was this review helpful to you?
Gelboys is perfection
It would be very hard for me to not love this sequel given how much I adore the styling premise and characters of this seriesWhile obviously not everything is perfect, I loved seeing a whole episode of our boys being happy and together which we never quite got last season. I expect realism from this series and although the flashback/future kids thing doesn't quite land for me yet, I'm not mad at it. It's a wait and see for me at the moment
But the moments we got REALLY served everything that makes Gelboys special. It really showed me that a few good scenes can surpass some whole series if they are done well. As always the cast was perfect, the culture building exceptional, the script superb, and the styling impeccable
Cannot wait for more. Finally a series to look forward to each write week
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Killer ethics
My hopes for season 2 were answered in some ways. We do see how good Jin Man is good at setting up or at least assembling the people to create intricate black market shopping mall for professional killers or hide outs at different locations and help him run it. The drama shows Ji Ahn getting straight forward mercenary/special forces training without it being couched as something else, but not much coaching from Jin Man to be the successor to the bloody family business, she already hits the ground making plans. She's always shown to be very smart and quick to pick up on what she needs to do in a situation to survive, but it would have been more satisfying if her mastermind leadership side was built up through the earlier episodes than appearing fully formed already. There needed to be more a lot more scenes of their Mutherhelp family bonding together in their new shop before half of them died. There were too much time given to the Babylon side, way too much Bale who needed to have died in the first episode. Kusanagi starts off with the perfect balance of believable villain and chewing scenery, but tips all the way into the latter category by the end. There was too much of her scenes as well. Q is a cute petite, deadly killer team leader who has a cute relationship with her team and harbors a crush for Jin Man which does not stop her from full on wanting to kill him when she was mislead to think he killed her brother, which good for her. I also get why she didn't stick around to have the promised meal with him from when they met that one time years ago. Jin Man is just all about dedicating his life to his niece daughter who had no choice but to be in this life whether she wants to or not. As Q notes, Ji Ahn also has that same look in the eyes as they all do including the both of them in this kind of life. At least Ji Ahn will flourish after giving up the normal life when giving it a good college try got her sweet fishing village orphan boyfriend killed. It was so moving when the one of the village grandmas comforts her all of the women their had husbands that died at sea for one reason or another just as Ji Ahn's boyfriend did, but she needs to continue to live. And so she does as the new CEO of a killer shopping network. If there's a season 3, I would like to see more of Jin Man and Jin Ahn working together to run things and maybe expand more of how he came to form the shop in the first place.Was this review helpful to you?
Truly a masterpiece in the action genre
I am not a huge fan of purely action dramas, movies or anything but this drama does it so well that it's hard not to watch. The fight scenes were choreographed so well it truly felt like you were watching two people fight. The punches look and feel like they land, the movements are so fast I can't imagine the effort these actors put in to make the story shine.I truly give it to these actors because they are the reason Bloodhounds will be immortalized in the action genre. I almost can't imagine watching them in a rom com. Or if I did, I would feel it is a waste of talent.
Anyways, if you like action or you don't, you will at the very least appreciate the perfection of this show and the actors.
(I'm only giving it an 8.5 because, as i said, it's not my favorite genre)
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